The Trump campaign is running an ad in Minnesota that seeks to portray Democrat Joe Biden as in thrall to "lawless" protesters while arguing President Trump will "protect" the state and bring "jobs, not mobs." The "jobs" line is illustrated by a photo of Vice President Mike Pence visiting a steel mill in St. Paul in March 2019. A year later, the Brazilian company that owns the mill, Gerdau Ameristeel, told workers it would shift to finishing steel, not melting or rolling it, leading to 222 layoffs in the 300-strong workforce, David Weigel reports at The Washington Post.
Pence had visited the St. Paul steel mill to promote the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, which was signed in January 2020. "Gerdau is an example of how American steel is back," Pence said during his 2019 visit. "We are going to level the playing field, and Americans are going to win like never before." Dave Hallas, 41, immediately recognized the photo in the new ad, because he had been one of the mill workers at the event. "The tag line is jobs," Hallas wrote on Facebook. "My mill that has been operating for over 55 years is now closed and it was not COVID-related. Failed promises."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant moneySpeed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
